What do you think?
That's a Fact, Jack! Revised & Updated
If you're a fact aficionado ... step right up & enter the world of useless information pointless trivia, & off-the-wall facts. Some of the facts are funny. Some are surprising. And some are plain weird. But all of them are true - & irresistibly fascinating! You'll find information on virtually every subject under the sun including: animals popular culture, science, sex, sports, & statistics.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 28, 2018
Great counterbalance for a really deep and hard to understand book - a fun break to take! Sometimes you just want to get away from the 'heavy' reading for a change of pace. Anyone thinking of going on Jeopardy might want to consider adding this book to their list; you will find lots of different topics covered here!
December 8, 2010
Nice quick read for the loo or, in my case, waiting for your ramen to cook and cool down. My favorites were:
"You can tell the temperature by listening to a cricket chirp. For the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and then add 37."
"In the late 1600's Puritan society, a child over 16 convicted of cursing a parent was sentenced to death. Being a stubborn or rebellious child also earned you a death sentence."
"Since the establishment by Congress in 1913, the Federal Reserve has overseen a 98 percent drop in the value of the U.S. dollar. In other words, today's dollar would have been worth 2 cents in 1913. Before the Fed's establisment, the purchasing power of the dollar remained constant over a century."
"You can tell the temperature by listening to a cricket chirp. For the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and then add 37."
"In the late 1600's Puritan society, a child over 16 convicted of cursing a parent was sentenced to death. Being a stubborn or rebellious child also earned you a death sentence."
"Since the establishment by Congress in 1913, the Federal Reserve has overseen a 98 percent drop in the value of the U.S. dollar. In other words, today's dollar would have been worth 2 cents in 1913. Before the Fed's establisment, the purchasing power of the dollar remained constant over a century."
December 22, 2008
A good quick read. Full of facts that will come up in everyday conversation. Not boring at all and very quick paced, large print on small pages. Worth the time, though at first glance it may not seem like it.
March 22, 2009
This fun little book is full of short interesting facts from a variety of areas. It's easy to read in well under an hour. My only complaint is that I wish there was an appendix with references for where they found their facts.
January 6, 2013
Read it in a evening, light fun, great way to relax.
December 25, 2013
Useless, but fun information for the "Cliff Clavin" in all of us. Amaze your friends with your "knowledge" until they throw something at you.
January 29, 2015
A quick book to read on-the-go. Interesting and entertaining unusual facts.
August 16, 2015
It's got some interesting info in here
March 16, 2017
A book full of interesting and useless information.
November 28, 2017
Learned the term gas comes from the greek chaos.
January 11, 2018
Great quick read of useless information, intresting and entertaining but I doubt I'll ever use any of it in life.
January 12, 2018
A quick, fun read about virtually useless information. I read it all in one sitting while waiting for my haircut!
May 19, 2024
I enjoyed the heck out of this book and yet I was left unsatisfied. For one thing, this book claims to be a 'collection of utterly useless information'. However, I felt that there was some really interesting stuff inside that could be useful for a game of Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy!.
Then there's the length of the book. 192 pages. However, most pages have only one factoid. Some might have two, tops. Either more facts could have been inserted into this book OR they could have reduced the page count by, oh maybe a third. No wonder we're having a shortage on trees!
Some generic illustrations are added throughout the book. Public domain stuff from the late 1800s and such. They're extraneous. Again, instead of these fillers, either put in more facts or take out some pages!
When this hardcover book debuted in 2006, the MSRP was $21.99! Had I paid that much for this book based on all the faults I have for it now, I would have been pissed! Currently, this book sells new on Amazon for $9.99. That's a 55% discount and still too rich for my blood.
Thankfully, I got this at a used book store 'fill a bag' sale. I think the bag cost $20 or $25. We filled that sucker to the brim and then some. I'd say I ended up spending less than $0.75 for this book. Maybe a bit less. That sort of bargain prevents me from rating this book lower. But I wonder if I should for those of you who might not benefit from a massive fire sale.
I liked what I read. I just do not feel like there's a portrait of Andrew Jackson's worth of knowledge inside.
Then there's the length of the book. 192 pages. However, most pages have only one factoid. Some might have two, tops. Either more facts could have been inserted into this book OR they could have reduced the page count by, oh maybe a third. No wonder we're having a shortage on trees!
Some generic illustrations are added throughout the book. Public domain stuff from the late 1800s and such. They're extraneous. Again, instead of these fillers, either put in more facts or take out some pages!
When this hardcover book debuted in 2006, the MSRP was $21.99! Had I paid that much for this book based on all the faults I have for it now, I would have been pissed! Currently, this book sells new on Amazon for $9.99. That's a 55% discount and still too rich for my blood.
Thankfully, I got this at a used book store 'fill a bag' sale. I think the bag cost $20 or $25. We filled that sucker to the brim and then some. I'd say I ended up spending less than $0.75 for this book. Maybe a bit less. That sort of bargain prevents me from rating this book lower. But I wonder if I should for those of you who might not benefit from a massive fire sale.
I liked what I read. I just do not feel like there's a portrait of Andrew Jackson's worth of knowledge inside.
June 11, 2020
A collection of utterly useless information
Almost a booklet: 207 pages. a little known fact on each, a perfect bathroom read.
My favorites:
Like snowflakes or fingerprints, the bacterial profile in your belly button is unique.
Cleve is a Contronym: a word with its own antonym. It can only be derived from context: It can mean ‘to cling or adhere to’ or to split
or sever something.
Almost a booklet: 207 pages. a little known fact on each, a perfect bathroom read.
My favorites:
Like snowflakes or fingerprints, the bacterial profile in your belly button is unique.
Cleve is a Contronym: a word with its own antonym. It can only be derived from context: It can mean ‘to cling or adhere to’ or to split
or sever something.
Read
May 21, 2021A breezy, fun read. Fact extensive without being fact intensive. Here’s my favorite one of the bunch:
Ice-skaters skate on water, not ice. At 32° Fahrenheit, ice has a liquid surface measuring 1.5 millionths of an inch. Below –31° Fahrenheit, the liquid layer becomes so thin that a skater’s blades would stick rather than glide across the ice.
Ice-skaters skate on water, not ice. At 32° Fahrenheit, ice has a liquid surface measuring 1.5 millionths of an inch. Below –31° Fahrenheit, the liquid layer becomes so thin that a skater’s blades would stick rather than glide across the ice.
February 4, 2019
Fun facts! Random information, needless trivia, but entertaining.
March 15, 2019
A fun book of facts.
April 6, 2020
Great little book of fun little facts to make you smile. A good way to spend 20 minutes!
June 9, 2020
Really fast read- very cool facts!
February 21, 2021
Clever little book! I found this at an Airbnb in Charleston. When I got home, I ordered one for every guy friend I have named Jack! It is filled with cutisms!
November 11, 2023
A well written fact book, that teaches you everything from the origin to the saying “I laughed all the way to the bank” to the fact that the Bible is the most shoplifted book in the world.
It’s fine, worth the $6.00 I’ve seen it go for at Barnes & Noble
It’s fine, worth the $6.00 I’ve seen it go for at Barnes & Noble
January 20, 2024
Great way to start off the year, a nice dense book!
May 1, 2026
This was a short, fun read. Some of the facts were impressive, some amusing, all interesting.
September 24, 2012
An adorable little book! I used it to make a "daily fact" board and it was so easy to pick interesting, funny, or unusual facts from that I had never heard before. I also is filled with cute vintage illustrations that make the book well-designed and aesthetically pleasing. Would recommend!
April 1, 2011
A very quick read of "useless info".... had a few interesting pieces.
July 18, 2012
Just a book with a lot of random facts. I find those things interesting. It could also be useful if you like to play Trivial Pursuit.
March 20, 2016
A collection of facts that sometimes contains things that aren’t true or are misreported.
May 7, 2024
Great fun!
January 28, 2015
Interesting facts!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews